The Battle for Your Mind
From the Armor Series
“For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Galatians 5:1 CSB
Hey friend!
Have you ever watched a football game where you witnessed two players colliding with each other so hard that it knocks one player’s helmet off? When this happens in football and the player’s helmet is knocked off in the midst of the game, the player must come off the field and sit out for one play before he is allowed to return to the field. The player’s helmet is part of his uniform and is crucial to the safety of the player. Without the safety of the helmet, the player is limited to the sidelines and unable to play the game.
Ephesians 6:17a tells us to “take up” the helmet of salvation against the enemy. The helmet of salvation in the armor of God is just as crucial to the Christian as a football player’s helmet is to the game he is playing. Galatians 5:1 tells us, “For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Our salvation is what allows us to live in freedom. It liberates us from the chains of sin as well as secures our future in Heaven.
It’s easy for us to focus only on the eternal benefits that salvation brings. But our salvation was meant to provide us with so much more. It was meant to give us freedom on this side of Heaven as well as for all eternity. Because of our salvation, God intends for us to implement an entire new way of thinking in every area of our lives.
Make no mistake friend. There is a battle raging for our mind. It’s imperative for us to not go into the battles of life without our helmet on. Our helmet of salvation is about our new identity in Christ Jesus. Priscilla Shirer says, “In fact, part of what it means to wear the helmet of salvation is to live every day in light of eternity and the promised future that we have. Doing so will, without a doubt, change the way we live in the present.”
Dear friend – this begs the question: How often do we really live out our every day life looking through an eternal, kingdom perspective? Have we adopted a new way of thinking or are we still operating on an old way of thinking?
Priscilla goes on to say, “Receiving salvation is not the same as applying salvation. The first redeems us; the second restores, protects, and shields us daily from the attacks of the enemy.”
Friend, the battle for your mind is real. The enemy wants you and I so defeated in our thinking that we only concentrate on things of this earth instead of things of God. He wants us bound in chains to fear, worry, anxiety, and depression until we can’t see a way out. Yes, the battle for our minds is real but we are overcomers through Christ Jesus. So, strap on your helmet and get back in the game. Refuse to be a slave to the enemy’s schemes. You have been set free!
Dear God,
I’ve been set free from the chains of sin - Thank you for setting me free through your Son! Thank you for the helmet of salvation that not only provides me eternal security but gives me a new way of thinking and I don’t have to be bound in chains to the old way no longer. Lord, renew my mind day after day and keep my thoughts on Heaven. In Jesus name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 2:5 CSB